Croydon Council staff took more than 21,000 days off sick last year – costing the council nearly £2million in sick pay.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the Advertiser has revealed employees at the council were off sick for a total of 21,406 days between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017.

That figure adds up to more than 58 years’ worth of sick days being taken. However, the council has defended itself, stating that because it employs over 3,000 people, the figure equates to about six days per employee.

The FOI, which was provided to the Advertiser on Wednesday (June 27), also reveals that this cost the council a staggering £1,837,929.

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Trade union UNISON, which account for more than 1.3million people in the UK, has insisted that cuts to staffing levels have put extra stress on staff members at councils across the country.

UNISON regional organiser Greta Farian believes part of the reason why council staff take days off is due to “increased pressure”.

She said: “We are committed to supporting our members and working with the council to tackle absence levels at a time of increased pressure due to funding reductions.

“We both recognise the need to ensure the wellbeing of staff who strive to maintain the delivery of services to Croydon residents.”

John O’Connell, chief executive of the right-wing anti-tax TaxPayers' Alliance who campaign for an “end to wasteful government spending”, has reacted to the news by saying the council “should get a grip”.

He said: "The public sector has long shown a far higher incidence of sick days compared to the private sector.

"The council should get a grip, and use taxpayers' money more judiciously."

A spokesman for Croydon Council said: "Croydon Council has around 3,500 employees, so this number of sick days equates to an average of six days per person per year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has given examples of why staff may have taken sick days.

Karen McDonnell, OSH policy adviser and head of RoSPA Scotland, said: “The reasons for people being absent from work range from minor illnesses, coughs and colds through muscle skeletal disorders and mental health issues including depression, anxiety and other conditions.

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“Employers need to understand their absence data and through an inclusive approach to return-to-work interviews, pro-actively engage with employees and bring them back into work.

"Return-to-work interviews and phased returns are fundamentally important in creating an opportunity to create a ‘whole person whole life’ understanding of the issues underlying the absence and supporting employees towards fulfilled working lives with concomitant benefits to the organisation.”

The council spent £15,575.09 on air travel between January 2015 and February 2018, and travelled 47 times in that period, and flew on a number of airlines including British Airways, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic.